Understanding history is its own type of exploring. It can be difficult for outsiders to grasp the essence of what a community represents. The only way to know is to dive into the ocean of collective memories to piece together what makes a place the way it is.
Ever since my fortuitous assimilation into the community, I’ve had the opportunity to hear stories of the Hamilton County of yester-year. Some of the time-honored members of the area were able to give me a glimpse of a simpler time. The topic mentioned most often was the transformation of the county as the population leaped from around 50,000 residents to nearly septuple (multiplied by seven) the number of residents at 350,000. In just short of a lifetime, many of the once humble fields have metamorphosized into an ever-growing sprawl of urban advancement and innovation.
While I would love to write down every story that I’ve heard about the Hamilton County before my time, I wouldn’t be able to do it justice. I wasn’t there. I can only experience the Hamilton County of the present.
However, these recollections allowed me to get a sense of what the Hamilton County of 2023 values – a spirit with respect for its roots that courageously embraces the future. Nothing seems to have better captured this symbiosis than the retired smokestack of the Model Mill building standing tall next to a cell tower. Technological feats of the past and present towering over Noblesville.
The Model Mill’s retired smokestack stands in stark contrast to a cell phone tower in Noblesville, but these two objects represent well the interplay of past and future within Hamilton County. (Reporter photo by Hayden Parsons)
This duality may even be evident in your very hands right now. Are you reading The Hamilton County Reporter digitally or on newsprint? Either way, both versions exist just like the smokestack and cell tower.
What we do today defines our tomorrow. The only way we can respect our roots and hold true to the Hamilton heritage is to ensure we can share our history with our successors. Using the tools and opportunities around us, we can record our stories for future generations to know. We live in a time where anyone can capture moments in our lives to be remembered by others (and perhaps with a bit too much detail thanks to obsessive use of social media by some individuals). Memorializing our past creates a cornerstone of community values for future generations.
And while it may seem inconsequential, you, reader, have a unique perspective that has defined what Hamilton County has become. I urge you to memorialize your story. You are a part of Hamilton County, too. Your story, regardless of how small it may seem to you now, has and will continue to impact on Hamilton County far beyond the years of anyone reading this column now.
Remember, the community wouldn’t be the same without you. Otherwise, it would just be a cmmnit. It just doesn’t make sense with you missing from it.
Editor’s note: If you have a story or photos you’d like to share of Hamilton County of old, please email them to News@ReadTheReporter.com.
Hayden C. T. Parsons is the newest associate at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville.